Lupita Nyong’o Calls Out Magazine For Photoshopping Her Hair Out

Actress Lupita Nyong’o has publicly shamed a magazine for photoshopping out her hair out of the frame of their cover.

The Oscar-winning actress claims Grazia UK ‘edited out and smoothed my hair to fit their notion of what beautiful hair looks like’ in a lengthy post on Instagram, before adding that she was ‘disappointed’ with the end result.

The 34-year-old star also pointed out that she wasn’t consulted over the magazine’s decision to digitally remove her hair.

Nyong’o added that if she had been, she would explain that she ‘cannot support or condone the omission of what is my native heritage with the intention that they appreciate that there is still a very long way to go to combat the unconscious prejudice against black women’s complexion, hair style and texture’.

Sharing the unedited images from the shoot on Instagram with her statement, Nyong’o wrote:

As I have made clear so often in the past with every fibre of my being, I embrace my natural heritage and despite having grown up thinking light skin and straight, silky hair were the standards of beauty, I now know that my dark skin and kinky, coily hair are beautiful too.

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Being featured on the cover of a magazine fulfills me as it is an opportunity to show other dark, kinky-haired people, and particularly our children, that they are beautiful just the way they are.

I am disappointed that @graziauk invited me to be on their cover and then edited out and smoothed my hair to fit their notion of what beautiful hair looks like.

Had I been consulted, I would have explained that I cannot support or condone the omission of what is my native heritage with the intention that they appreciate that there is still a very long way to go to combat the unconscious prejudice against black women’s complexion, hair style and texture.#dtmh.

Last month, Solange Knowles told The Evening Standard Magazine ‘don’t touch my hair’ after they digitally removed a braided crown from her head for its cover image.

In a statement, the EveningStandard responded: ‘We were delighted to have the chance to interview the wonderful Solange Knowles and photograph her for this week’s edition of ES.

‘It is therefore a matter of great regret that the finished cover artwork caused concern and offence.

‘The decision to amend the photograph was taken for layout purposes, but plainly we made the wrong call and we have offered our unreserved apologies to Solange.’